


Time Lost

by Merfilly



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-15
Updated: 2008-11-15
Packaged: 2018-01-13 06:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1216051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A portal, the Ice Age, and these two snarking</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Set between Gorilla City and Dino Island in the Birds of Prey book.

"—just great that every time I..." 

The complaining woman's voice cut off mid sentence as Dinah blinked and fully registered where the stupid portal thing that his block-head, muscle-bound body had shoved her through had landed her. And him, which was only a small comfort as she saw deep woods and blue skies and snow all around.

Snow she was standing in. With said block-head, muscle-bound trouble.

"We're not in Kansas anymore, sister," he said dryly. "Or, rather, the modern era version of it."

"And I suppose you saw that first run, too."

"No, but I did catch a re-release." He looked around at the woods, noting certain scientific details absently. He then did a once over of his gear; no, they'd been thorough in getting the guns. Someone would pay for that detail, eventually. He did have two knives and his sword, though. Nice of them for that...

"It's cold." She said it casually, like she wasn't standing in snow that had to be freezing her legs blue, and it made him frown. 

"No firearms. First order of business is a fire, I'd think."

"No, shelter. We have no idea how long this is going to take to get fixed, and we have daylight." She reached into one of the pouches around her waist, found an ultralight blanket of the insulating kind, and tied it around her waist. Before he could even mention the lack of freedom of movement in a woodland environment, she had caught it up from behind in a makeshift pants. Part of her legs, from just below the knee to her boots were still exposed, but it wasn't so bad. 

"Not bad, sister. You must have made a cute Brownie."

"Never had time, Wilson. Was keeping stakeout with my dad half the time," she replied evenly. The mercenary shrugged and took point so they could find the required shelter before dark, with enough light to spare for setting a fire.

"Doesn't feel like cave country, so we'll have to find a dug out of some kind, for now." Slade kept an eye out for opportunistic food, not liking the signs that said the snow was recent, and that winter was beginning, not ending. 

"Be thankful it wasn't Kansas," she quipped. "Plains or steppes would have been murder on finding a good way to rig a shelter."

"Not impossible, but yes." He used his superior senses to pick up a game trail, following the subtle signs until he was sure it led to a den...and then backtracked. 

"Badger. Not worth the effort," she said, before he could even offer a reason.

That earned her a glance. "Eagle Scout then?"

She laughed at his sarcastic remark, shrugging with that infuriatingly 'I'm-pretty-and-don't-know-much' smile that he had decided was ninety percent sham back in Gorilla City.

"If we don't find a better one soon, I'll deal with them." Slade did pick up another trail, and found it inhabited by foxes this time. It would be cramped, but in this case, that was a good thing. Dinah kept a look out while he dealt with the current occupants, her eyes just slightly moist at the necessity, but no words to provoke him. 

"Give them here, Slade. You have a better eye for how to make that hole suit us, and I can dress game out." 

"Need a... no, you don't." He passed the two foxes over as she was pulling a multi-use bladed tool out of another pouch. She removed her blanket-pants and gloves, working fast to keep from locking up or getting blood on things not easily washed. That let him use his sword //hell of a use for the blade// to get the hole shaped out a little better. She finished her task first, reclad herself in the blanket and gloves, and started pulling wood to their hole.

When he had a chance to inspect it, he saw she had made a small pile of very dry, small pieces for the initial fire, and then greener ones that would take longer to burn. Slade considered asking how she had learned all of this, but the fact she never gave straight answers kept him from doing so. Instead he got it all ready to light, while recalling his own survival tips.

"Here." She held out a book of matches.

"Do you carry everything in those pouches?" he finally asked, bemused.

"No, those were just left over from the bar hopping earlier this week," she jibed back at him.

"You know, sister, I do have a history of holding grudges, and you did leave in a fast hurry from that mess in Gorilla City...after persuading me to not hang you out to dry."

She looked at him with a blaze of anger. "Not my fault, thank you very much. Speaking of...how'd that go? Saw Vicky a few weeks back."

"Let's just say I couldn't let the apes steal a future fun from me," he rumbled. She snorted, before fashioning a few lines to hang the fox pelts from in the smoke of the fire he had nursed up. "Smart."

"Depending on how long they take to find us, I'm going to need them."

"We'll need more meat and fur just to be on the safe side," he said, setting the fox meat on skewers to cook. 

"I think I saw some berries. I can track small game along the traces we passed, try to find their winter stashes. Not to mention set traps along them."

"Okay, sister, how in hell did miss Gotham-Born and Star City-Weaned Hero Girl come to know so much outdoors knowledge?" He had thought her ability to move in the jungle, in these woods was a fluke, but she knew skills down deep.

"Camping as a child. Get away from the city, Dad always said. Then dragging Ollie out...and later, going with Roy." She shrugged. "Everyone has a hobby."

"I thought your hobby was landing chin deep in trouble, sister."

"Oh ha ha..."

`~`~`~`~`

The next morning, after a night of compromises about skin cover and blankets shared, found Slade sitting near the banked embers of the fire, attempting to lash his larger knife properly to a sturdy, mostly straight branch. Dinah sleepily watched him, wrapped in the blanket, for a long moment. 

"Been easier if you could get the handle off and properly tang it in the wood."

"Except we don't know how long we're stuck here, and only have three proper knives between us. I'd rather not damage it. I can make bone tips when I get us a deer."

"Point. I suppose you're fully qualified for the cave man routine, all spear pointing and stabbing."

Slade grunted. "Bayonet work. Korea and Vietnam and a few places the government still hates admitting to."

"Well, then, soldier boy. Would a loop of decel line work better for lashing than whatever you're using?"

`~`~`~`~`

Dinah decided venison was very tasty fresh cooked over a fire, and Slade was admitting that fruit left past first freeze had an interesting taste to it. The skin from this buck...and he had never seen anything that large, so this was definitely still an era of mega fauna...was being smoked over a second fire, along with most of the meat. He thought about digging to permafrost for cold storage, but there would time for that after another hunt. His gear, though practical for his work, was not exactly well insulated and the full day in the cold had reminded him of that. 

She would get the first fur. A discussion of how to use all the dear had ensued after he brought it back for butchery, and they would be making the most of it. With snow around for melting water wasn't yet a problem, and her foraging had found a small stream with ice around the edges. Maybe fish tomorrow...

Improbable as it was, they had a means to survive, and no logical way to effect their return to civilization of their own era. Looking for other humans...not a good option, he decided off hand. They'd get killed as strange, or wind up worshiped, and neither appealed. Especially as the death might not stick for him.

They'd get through this and it wasn't like he lacked for company, noisy as she was. Much as he hated to admit it, this was turning into something of a vacation.

A pleasant one at that, as they both stripped mostly down to share the single blanket inside the dugout.

**Author's Note:**

> I recently got to do an expanded version of this with my cowriter. No idea if it will see the light of day though, so here's the original take.


End file.
